When Chadwick Boseman passed away in 2020 following a hard-fought battle with cancer, the world was left reeling. Beyond his role as T’Challa in the MCU, the actor’s star was on the rise and, down the road, it was easy to picture him finding huge success across both mainstream blockbuster fare and during awards season. Tragically, we never got to see any of that become a reality.
Marvel Studios decided that sidelining the Black Panther franchise and Wakanda would be a disservice to Boseman and forged ahead with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Rather than recast the role, T’Challa died off-screen and his sister Shuri inherited the mantle. In the sequel’s closing moments, we met the fallen King’s son, Toussaint, who we’d later learn shared the "T’Challa" name. It appeared the idea was that he’d eventually inherit his father’s role as Black Panther, giving the MCU a new T’Challa in the process.
This month, there have been rumblings online that Marvel Studios is in the process of recasting this role. Few solid details have been revealed, meaning this T’Challa could be a Multiversal Variant or the adult Toussaint who takes centre stage in Black Panther 3 (presumably after the post-Avengers: Secret Wars relaunch ages him up).
Fans have reacted positively to the prospect of seeing T’Challa back on screen, with Cross and Black Adam star Aldis Hodge emerging as an immediate fan favourite for the role.
While we don’t anticipate seeing this new Black Panther on screen for a few years yet, there’s a movie coming out this year that could open the door to a new T’Challa making his presence felt in the MCU much sooner than expected: The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
As we’re sure you’re aware, Black Panther debuted in the pages of Fantastic Four #52 in 1966. His formative years are tied closely to this team and he’s been a recurring ally (and even a member of the group) ever since.
During that first appearance, the Wakandan hero battles each of the Fantastic Four to help prepare for a future clash with Ulysses Klaw. A recreation of that would be a blast to see on screen, even if it’s only briefly. Plus, it makes sense for Reed Richards to seek out T’Challa’s genius in helping stop Galactus, particularly if their world is under threat. And, if Doctor Doom also hails from this reality, then that's another dynamic worth exploring in Avengers: Doomsday.
There are admittedly a couple of glaring issues with this theory. For starters, The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman has confirmed that Marvel’s First Family are the only heroes in their world. On the other hand, if this movie is set to introduce a new T’Challa Variant, then it will have been one of the reboot’s most closely guarded secrets. All it would take is for the team to journey to their version of Wakanda to seek the hero’s assistance - paying homage to the classic issue mentioned above - and Black Panther could then hitch a ride to the Sacred Timeline before being cemented as the new T’Challa once everything is reset.
Do we think this is likely? Well, it’s hard to say but this is as good a place as any to introduce a new Black Panther, particularly if he’ll be among the many Multiversal Variants in play in the next Avengers movies (and c’mon, we need to see that comic book moment where T’Challa wields the Infinity Gauntlet in live-action).
As always, let us know your thoughts on this theory in the comments section below.